


That's a start

by bunnysworld



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Blindness, Canon Era, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-02
Updated: 2016-06-02
Packaged: 2018-07-11 18:23:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 737
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7065121
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bunnysworld/pseuds/bunnysworld
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It’s been weeks and Merlin’s condition didn’t get better</p>
            </blockquote>





	That's a start

**Author's Note:**

> Sequel to [Nothing will change ](http://archiveofourown.org/works/6976873)
> 
> Written for Camelot_Drabble's prompt: eye contact
> 
> Sorry, not beta'd.

The days added up to weeks and neither Merlin’s eyesight nor his magic had come back to him. Arthur didn’t know what to do. He had sent for the best healers in the realm, trying not to upset Gaius, who had always been wonderful but even Gaius himself couldn’t deny that age was taking its toll on him. 

Arthur tried to supress a sigh. Merlin sat in his chair by the window, facing the last rays of sunshine and his beautiful face was a mask of stone. He hardly talked and seemed to be miles away these days. 

“Merlin?” How he missed the liveliness, the talking back, the banter they had exchanged. How he missed his Merlin. They still spend the nights together in one bed, but aside from Merlin clinging to him in his sleep, nothing else had happened. 

Merlin turned his head subtly. 

“What would you like to do after dinner? We could take a walk? Or go to the stables and say hi to the horses?” Before Merlin had time to react, Arthur knew that the answer would be ‘no’. Merlin never wanted to do anything anymore. 

So he went over, sat on the window sill and took Merlin’s hand. He lifted it up to his face and pressed a kiss onto the palm. 

“Arthur…” Whispered.

“I know. I shouldn’t have suggested it.”

“It’s just…”

Arthur held his breath. 

“People knew me differently. What will they think if they saw me like this? Dependant…”

Frowning, Arthur jumped up. “Since when do you care what people thought about you? You didn’t care when you came here and you didn’t care when we became friends. Do you know that ‘people’ have thought I was using you long before we actually did it? You do. Did you mind? No. You didn’t care that people whispered because you were wearing the same silly shirts and boots for years because you were too proud to accept new ones from me. You didn’t care that people thought you controlled me with magic so I would make it legal again and you weren’t bothered with the effects of making you court sorcerer. So…why now?”

Arthur knew it wasn’t fair to get so angry, but Merlin had never cared about appearances, so why would he start now?

Merlin said nothing for a while and then took a deep breath. “It would weaken the realm if they really knew how I am. We can’t let that happen.”

“They would stop whispering and adore you for all you have done for the realm so far.” Arthur sat down again and leaned over to kiss Merlin. He hadn’t really done this since Merlin was hit by the spell, just a quick peck on the cheek here, a kiss pressed into his hair there, but now he was claiming his lips again as he had done so many times before. 

In the beginning, Merlin stayed absolutely passive, but after a while, he started kissing back, threw his arms around Arthur’s neck and held on. “I need you,” he whispered desperately when they broke for air.

Arthur didn’t need more encouragement and took Merlin over to the bed and stripped him quickly. For weeks, he had tried to ignore the need, didn’t want to push himself on Merlin, but he was just as desperate as Merlin sounded. 

He took him quickly, felt Merlin relax the more often he pounded into him and grinned happily when he heard Merlin call out his name as he came. 

They lay panting for a while and when Arthur got his breath back, he got up on one elbow to reach for the blanket to cover them both. As he reached over Merlin, he noticed a change. Could it be? 

“Merlin?” It looked almost as if…

There was a small astonished smile on Merlin’s face as he made eye contact. 

“You…is it back? Can you…?” Arthur didn’t dare to breathe.

“Not all of it. But instead of darkness, there’s shadows and a bit of light. And colours. Dull, but…colours, Arthur!” Merlin chuckled and then frowned in concentration. For a short moment, a butterfly made out of magic flickered in the palm of his hand. “That’s a start.”

Arthur laughed. He couldn’t stop laughing and leaned down to kiss Merlin again and again. “We should have done this earlier.”

“A lot earlier!” Merlin giggled and threw his arms around Arthur.


End file.
